Cold soil temperature remains an issue. Agricorp have recieved numerous winter wheat damage reports; they have been inspecting west of Chatham, but are delaying inspection east of that. In the Barrie / GTA area, 10-15% of wheat-planted area is being put down. Planting into difficult conditions last fall e.g. smearing, may have contributed to poor […]
Early season corn insect pests can significantly impact stand establishment. Below are the main corn seedling pests along with scouting technique, action thresholds and management strategies. (OMAFRA Publication 811, Agronomy Guide, Chapter 13 and Publication 812, Field Crop Protection Guide) Wireworm Description: Wireworms are 7 – 35 mm (1/4 to 1-1/3 inches) long, cylindrical, copper-brown […]
Conditions: More rainfall in region south and east of Ottawa over the April 12th weekend. Fields are generally saturated. Upper Ottawa Valley has drier conditions. Moisture from snow melt got away with very little ponding in most areas. Alfalfa: Winter survival looks good to date. Alfalfa has 2 to 3 inches of new growth at […]
Porcine Epicemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) will result in additional challenges for everyone involved in agricultural custom work. Awareness, communication and precautionary measures will go a long way in reducing the risk of spreading the virus. Going into spring planting season requires everyone involved in agricultural operations – including custom manure application, but also custom tillage, […]
Issues this year will be managing temperature in furrow, and wet soils. A comparison of soil temperatures at 2 and 4” deep in Lampton county over the past 5 years (courtesy of Geoff Smith of Agricorp) shows snowmelt followed by cold temperatures caused a notable drop in mid-March. Given that soils are saturated, will further […]
April 15, 2014 Malibu Restaurant, Exeter Chair for this meeting was Jim Morlock Chair for next meeting is Blair Chowen Synopsis: An estimated 60% of the winter wheat crop will be under seeded with red clover. Less than 10% complete to the north, up to 50% complete in this area. Virtually no nitrogen on wheat: […]
There continues to be some mixed messaging going on in terms of when and where Bayer Fluency Agent must be used this growing season. Here are the facts as stated by PMRA. NOTE the exceptions below: 1) The mandatory use of Fluency Agent only applies when planting corn and soybeans. All other crops are exempt. […]
Note: New Location for Ridgetown AgBreakfast Meeting is the Campus Centre in the basement of Willson Hall, 7:15 am (U of Guelph Ridgetown Campus). A big thank-you to our Breakfast sponsor this week “St. Clair Region Soil and Crop Improvement Association” and Chad Anderson for their support. There are plenty of opportunities for others to […]
Red Clover underseeded in spring wheat paid up to an extra $100 an acre in Grain Corn! A four year study at the Winchester Research Farm started in 2009 was initiated to look at the effect of underseeding red clover in spring wheat at different growth stages and its impact on spring wheat yield and the […]
Many people are assuming that pests won’t be a problem this year given the long and very cold winter we had. Though overall there could be a reduction in pest populations, this is not necessarily true for all of our key pests. Some of them are quite tolerant to harsh winters and deal with it […]
This post discusses some of the results from one of the variable rate nitrogen trials on an Oxford County corn field. The background on this trial can be found in an earlier post. This farm was recently purchased so the producer had very little history, one year of yield data, and elevation was a limiting factor to […]
Wheat yields pushing 150 bu/ac are very possible with good management and increased nitrogen (N) rates. Recent research clearly shows an interaction between fungicides and nitrogen. But high nitrogen rates immediately raises questions about lodging, nitrogen source, and application timing. Wheat’s nitrogen demand is much earlier than corn, so nitrogen management needs to be different. […]
In order to mitigate risk of dust exposure to bees, Ontario stakeholders believe that practical initiatives to reduce dust released during planting should be considered. This includes the use of an improved seed lubricant and the use of planter deflectors, in order to minimize pollinator exposure. Two key ways to mitigate dust drift, as referenced […]
We are looking for OSCIA members who are interested in planting on-farm strip trials of neonicotinoid and fungicide only corn seed this year. Key objectives include: 1) gaining a better understanding of where the important soil insects are in Ontario corn fields so that we can develop high risk maps and 2) measure the economic […]
Results of a variable rate corn population trial in Oxford County conducted during the 2013 season are presented below. In an earlier post we talked about the importance of reviewing as-applied maps. This field had several years of historical yield data which over time can be used to create management zones that are based on productivity. […]